The big picture

Wednesday, February 15, 2023 5:57 PM

Why you need TOK:

- Taking on knowledge and beliefs without question won’t get you eaten by a fox, but it can
definitely lead to trouble.
- Deciding what to believe, and, more to the point, who to believe, is particularly difficult when
there are experts making competing claims.
- In TOK, we are not necessarily interested in the content of knowledge claims; instead, the main
focus is on asking the question: How do you know?

Analyzing the process of knowledge acquisition:

- The limits of our sense perception to create valid knowledge.

- Conceptions of truth.
- The validity of knowledge claims.
- Methods of gathering evidence.
- The acquisition of knowledge is a process that occurs over time and is affected by a variety of
factors.
- Culture is a factor that massively affects the development of knowledge and belief.
- Much of this early information is implicit until you develop the capacity for language, at which
point you increase your ability to comprehend explicit claims about knowledge and the world
made by those around you.
- Social psychology demonstrates that conforming to the dominant beliefs of an individual’s societal
in-groups is the default position.
- Conformity is most frequently thought of with regard to behavior. However, intellectual
conformity is also a consequence of society.
- The goal of TOK is to nurture within you a fundamental appreciation for the value in asking
questions and identifying instances in which assumptions are passed off as facts.
- Critical self-reflection is a key TOK skill and an important part of being a learner.
- Ignorance and ambiguity are a part of life and the source of inspiration.
- To be an explorer you must be comfortable with uncertainty.

The Big Picture Page 1